PHOTOS: RICHIE DOWNS | Monday night at the 9:30 Club in D.C., Dave Grohl was at the epicenter of an evening of rock, punk, and go-go. Billed as a birthday celebration for Big Tony of D.C. go-go legends Trouble Funk, word spread around town like wildfire…”The Foo Fighters are going to play the 9:30.”
The poster for the show, done in old school go-go style, announced Trouble Funk, The Don’t Need It’s (more on them shortly), and the cryptic “PLUS SPECIAL GUEST.” What fueled the rumors was the symbol next to those words, the molecule design from the 1997 Foo Fighters album, The Colour and the Shape.
The crowd waiting in the rain outside the club was abuzz with talk of the forthcoming evening. As the 8 o’clock hour closed in, Dave Grohl took the stage to begin his emcee duties. As he poked a little fun at himself and promised to try to be a lively emcee, the club fire alarm went off. Dave quipped, “Uh-oh, Bad Brains must have set the fire alarm off.”
A few minutes later, The Don’t Need It’s took the stage. Led by Scream frontman Pete Stahl, the band was rounded out by half of Bad Brains—Dr. Know on guitar and Darryl Jenifer on bass, and Dave on drums.
The foursome charged out of the gate with the Bad Brains classic “Sailin’ On.” Stahl was a madman on the mic, singing with age-defying intensity. Grohl was equally as manic on the drums, and Daryl and Dr. Know seemed to be enjoying every minute. As they played through other Bad Brains songs like “Attitude” and “Re-Ignition,” the crowd seemed a bit divided between older fans who have fond memories of these punk classics, and Foo Fighters fans eager for what the night may bring. This was bit unfortunate, considering the D.C. punk all-stars who were playing their asses off onstage.
Stahl dedicated “How Low Can a Punk Get” to Scream bandmate Skeeter Thompson, who joined them onstage to sing as Stahl crowdsurfed. The Don’t Need It’s finished off their set with “Rock For Light” and “Pay To Cum,” and it was time for the funk.
Trouble Funk made their entrance, and as the horns warmed up and the guitars plugged in, Big Tony thanked Dave Grohl for “the best birthday ever.” The go-go beats and the horn began, and Tony did a call-response with one another, backed by a wall of synth. The rumble from Tony’s bass and the huge bass sound from DC James’ Moog could have been measured on the Richter scale.
Dirty D and T-Sylk, equal parts vocalists, hype men, and percussionistsdidn’t stand still for a moment, dancing their asses off and stepping with the rhythm. The whole band—all 13 members—worked as one well-oiled machine, pounding out the grooves that got the people moving. As the sounds of “Pump Me Up” and “Let’s Get Small” filled the club, I couldn’t help but feel a bit of sadness for other cities where go-go wasn’t as prevalent.
Big Tony thanked on looking 9:30 owner Seth Hurwitz, and invited him to the stage. Seth took his place behind the drums and joined the band on “Play That Funky Music,” followed by Seth leading the club in singing “Happy Birthday” to Big Tony. Trouble Funk closed their set with a funktastic version of their hit “Drop the Bomb.”
You could feel the crowd’s anticipation growing during the set break, with fans growing restless and jockeying for a better position on the floor. As it grew closer to 11:30, the lights went down and Dave came to the stage alone. He thanked the crowd again, and proclaimed his pride in D.C. and the D.C. music scene. The crowd cheered as he played the first verse of “Times Like These” by himself, then completely erupted when the rest of the Foo Fighters joined him to go into the second verse.
Playing “Rope,” “The Pretender” and more, the crowd ate up every second of it, and every note played reminded you of how special an evening this was. Every voice in the club sang along with “My Hero,” and Dave recalled a humorous story of recording their album There Is Nothing Left to Lose in the basement of his home in Alexandria before going into “Generator.”
The band members were a yin and yang of intensity, with Grohl and drummer Taylor Hawkins resembling an uncontrollable ball of energy, while guitarist Chris Shiflett and bassist Nate Mendel displayed a calmer demeanor. Guitarist Pat Smear was somewhere in between, often displaying a playful sneer as he worked the guitar. Hawkins took over lead vocals for “Cold Day In the Sun,” and Dave dedicated “Big Me” to Seth Hurwitz.
A real highlight of the show came next, during “Monkeywrench.” During an extended solo, Dave came down from the stage, and made his way to the bar closest to the stage. Climbing up on the bar, he walked up and down while playing, pausing a few moments for a shot of Jagermeister. He climbed down, retook the stage and blasted through the rest of the song with renewed fervor—maybe it was the Jager.
After a blistering version of the band’s very first single, “This Is a Call” and “All My Life,” the Foo’s exited for a brief break.
Returning to the stage for the encore, they began with the rarely-played-live “Aurora,” followed by “Dear Rosemary.” The crowd showed little signs of slowing down, as the set surpassed the two-hour mark. Between songs, Dave talked about how happy they are with the new material they have recorded, and promised the fans that they would love it. He teased the crowd a bit, saying, “I’d love for you guys to hear it…but you ain’t gonna fuckin’ hear it tonight,” and his laughter was echoed by the audience. The night was brought to a close with “Everlong,” and despite the late hour, The Foos probably could have played another whole set without any objections.
After a three-year stretch since their last D.C. appearance, the Foo Fighters were in top form. The intimacy and energy of this special show in a smaller venue was felt by everyone in attendance, and the variety of the music of the evening made for one hell of a birthday party for Big Tony.
The Don’t Need It’s (Pete Stahl, Bad Brains, and Dave Grohl)
Trouble Funk
9:30 Club owner, Seth Hurwitz
